Chief Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has said PatrioticFront (PF) Luashya Member of Parliament (PM) Chishimba Kambwili is not the right person to assert that the newly-commissioned Itimpi Mine in Kalulushi is not environmentally safe because he is ignorant on many things regarding commissioning of new mines.
And Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale said it was not in order for Mr Kambwili to allege that the Itimpi mine which was in the mine area would be harmful to the environment when it had not even commenced operations.
Lieutenant-Geneneral Shikapwasha, who is Information Minister, said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the Government consulted the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) on the environmental impact of the mine before the decision to commission it was made.
He said Mr Kabwili was just politicking because he was the biggest beneficially of the Luashya Mine whose investor he constantly criticised.
Gen Shikapwasha said it was immoral for Mr Kabwili to call for President Rupiah Banda’s apology over the commissioning of the mine which he (Kambwili) said posed a danger to the environment because ECZ research proved otherwise.
He said PF was jealous of many development projects being carried out by President Banda’s Government aimed at providing jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets.
[ Times of Zambia ]
Interesting so Shikapwasha has realized that its only puting money into people’s pockets that is critical. We should hear from the expats from ECZ if they were consulted and approved this mine operations because at the end its the people who will suffer.
as much as i don’t necessarily support MMD and Shikapwasha in particular, that Kambwili guy is also getting on my nerves, always yapping yapping, no major challenge from him on the MMD.
But ba Minister ba lisaka. Someone eludes to environmental implications of the commissioned whatever mine, he responds that the mine is not functional yet. So we wait until it starts damaging the environment that is when we tackle the problem? It seems here that Kambwili sounds more responsible and knowledgeable of what he is discussing unlike these MMD knuckle heads in the names of Shikapwasha and Mwale. How can someone be jealousy of something that is not there?
kambwili and PF are juts so childish..what kind of finance minister will he make ..?
The thing i fail to understand is, what was the rush for the president to commission a mine that has not been environmental certified? Why didnt the gvz wait for all the process to be done and then commision? What was the rush? Now that they have been reminded, they want to justify that they (GRZ) notified the ECZ, isnt this embarring themselves
The correct reaction from government is to publish the environmental impact assessment report if indeed such an assessment was undertaken as expected in all such projects – not this blah blah blah. Why all this decadency???.
Freinds help me, what profession is Kabwili? All I know about him is he organized a one man match to State House. Anything else about him plz?
one thing is for sure is more successful than you!
Actually successful than your all entire clan. It is like asking me about Beyonce, Will Smith, Zuma (President of SA), Kobe, or Lebron James. You get it?
Move my dear. Your brain sounds radiated.
It’s ‘rush hour’ for the MMD everything now is being done without following procedures.
Election year yaaa…….!
Well,am not really a fanatic of MMD but Kambwili is one guy who is an empty tin in parliament.i wonder what criteria the PF used to select to contest the parliamentary seat bcoz the guy is so dull and is not even ashamed to xpose his dullness at any time.In parliament, i have never heard him make a rational well research argument apart from opposing anything from govt,it seems thts his understanding of being opposition.pliz can someone put somthing in this tin,even garbage,so that it stops making noise!!!!!
@6 well articulated
This is very simple and straight forward show us documentation of the EIAS and then it will be easy for us to argue not telling us that the Environmental council of Zambia was informed. Remember you are leading a people that understand issues that surround the environment, and so we need the documents to prove this case if not so then Kambwila knows what he is talking about
Hey Shikapwasha and Mwale where is the Environmental Impact Assessment report by ECZ? Stop mascarading as if you are the most knowledgeable people on earth. For some of us who work in corporate safety and has friends at ECZ, we are aware that MMD and RBish commissioned a mine before professionals at ECZ conducted an EIA. This is the mind boggling irresponsible and careless behaviour this MMD government is involved in, in desperation for re-election.
Its absolutely wrong and unreasonable to state that people should first die before government can protect humans and the environment. International law and domestic law both requires that if harm is imminent then government should take necessary steps to prevent such harm. The Constitution of Zambia protects the right to life which includes the right to a clean environment.
Environmental Law Scholar USA
#7 in case you did not read the article, he has just exposed the govt for commissioning a mine that has not passed the an EIA in a report produced by ECZ. And for your infromation, you do not need qualification to represent people as an MP but you need to know how to read at least. In this instance he read and MMD did not.
Our leaders in Zambia or let me say in MMD they respond anything instead of developing the country. Every time they are praising RUPIA BANDA for what. He is not using money. Why starting projects now fews months before elections. Zambians are fools. Change is coming and thats is our prayers we are tired of you guys. Am not saying that Sata or HH are good leader we want change matole yenu ba MMD
matole yenu ba pf
MULE
Change your ass! who told you we want to experiment Fool?
The new formular is as follows:
panick in PF is proportional to the number of projects inaugurated by RB.
The area in which the mine is located belongs to ZAFFICO. It is just off the Kitwe-Chingola Road after Ganerton. There is provision for replanting of trees in the mining agreement.
I know that I am usually on the side of the MMD, but I think:
1. Hon Kambwili is right to raise the issue of environmental effects of mining.
2. He should however, raise this issue in Parliament so that the Minister of Mines and the other Minister under which the Environmental Council of Zambia comes answer to Parliament.
3. A Parliamentary committee on mines should have summoned all the stake holders in this matter and querried them.
4. Chief Nkana should also be asked about what his views are.
5. Gen Shika is bang out of order to speak like this. Sometimes he would be wiser not to say anything on everything.
Replanting the trees after they finish getting the ore out of the ground? Replanting them somewhere else? Even if they replant somewhere else, the environmental degradation is about that location, not wherever they want to replant the trees.
…anyway donchi kubeba ba pastor something is hurting him nowandays,he is so eager to use their manda mandas so that we see that they did a great job .he doesnt talk ( ? ) during election times.
The disease that the Zambian leaders have perpetuated for a very long time is expediency at whatever cost. Whatever happened to simply stating statutory facts? Is there or isn’t there an EIA? Was ECZ provided opportunity to assess or not? Was the law of environment followed with its discretionary clauses, if any? I don’t know why it is that we always want to argue on speculative matters in the absence of the actual happenings. Are we still in the cold war era where secrecy and speculation was the greatest posture of victors??
KABWILI NI NSHIMBI!!….NOBODY IN PARLIAMENT CAN PUSH HIM AROUND…………NO WONDER THE LIKES OF RONNIE ‘VUVUZELA’ SHIKAPWASHA ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HIM……..IN 4 MONTHS TIME CHISHIMBA KAMBWILI WILL BE IN GOVERNMENT, WHETHER SHIKAPWASHA LIKES IT OR NOT…….IT’S US THE PEOPLE TO DECIDE… AND WE HAVE DECIDED………TRY AGAIN AFTER 30 YEARS…..THIS IS TIME FOR SSSSSSSSSSAAAATTTTTTTA & PPPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFF……..BYE BYE POLIO…
no.23 wow wow kambwili minister my foot, imwe bantu lets have quality and not quantity
The Saint has improved & become more analytical in his views & want to commend him for this but he should not change because power belongs to the people.Shikapwasha would do well to avoid yapping on things he does not understand even if he is GRZ vuvuzela.This issue is highly techenical & needs experts to comment or ministers directly responsible for Mines/Environment after proffessional advice.
DONCHIIIIIIIIIIII KUBEBA KAMBWILI MWAUME!!! THE GOVERNMENT THINK THEY CAN PUSH PEOPLE AROUND BUT NOT KAMBWILI ….. TETI AMI LEKE!! THE ONLY REASONNN PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT KAMBWILI THIS AND THAT IS BECAUSE THEY FEAR HIS PRESENCE!!!!!!!!!! KAMBWILI IS GOIGN TO BE MINISTER OF MINES OR FINANCE OR WORKS AND SUPPLY .,…. SO ALL YOU HATERS CAN HATE! KAMBWILI IS BY FAR THE BEST PARLIAMENTARIAN! SATA 2011 YOU CANT STOP IT ABANTU BU MU ZAMBIA NABA LANDA!!!!!! donchiii kubeba